The present application relates generally to the field of containers for preparation of beverages, especially coffee and tea. These containers commonly are referred to as cartridges, cups, capsules, or pods, and are particularly suitable for use in the preparation of a single-serve beverage.
In recent years, single-serve beverage machines have become popular in homes and businesses as a quick and convenient manner of brewing beverages. These machines generally brew coffee, tea, or other hot beverages through polymer containers that may have integral filters and are filled with coffee grinds, tea leaves, or other soluble products. Upon brewing of these products, the container may be easily discarded so that the machine is available for preparation of subsequent beverages. These containers thereby enable users to customize their beverages and also enjoy freshly brewed beverages quickly and easily.
Although convenient, existing containers used for the preparation of beverages have numerous drawbacks. For example, many commercially available containers are prepared using materials that are less easily recycled. This is due at least in part due to the structural characteristics that are required for these containers. For example, the containers must be sufficiently strong to permit puncturing of the base of the container without substantial deformation of the container.
Containers and materials having improved punctureability recently have been developed and are described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 14/034,307 and 14/034,298, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Although these containers have proven to significantly improve punctureability as compared to prior art designs, the modified designs in these applications have experienced some issues during processing using certain types of equipment (e.g., equipment which is designed to pick up and place the container from its base). Thus, there is a need for further design modifications that do not suffer from the difficulties experienced during processing of the containers with existing equipment while also providing the needed improved punctureability.